Seeing that he didn’t move, Wen Mingyu finally breathed a small sigh of relief. He quickly pulled him back into the room, slamming the door shut and clicking the lock into place, as if afraid he might escape.
After doing all this, Wen Mingyu still didn’t know how to handle the situation. His first thought was to tell the headmistress, but last year’s incident had made him realize that adults were not omnipotent. They couldn’t solve every problem.
When one of the boys at the orphanage had differentiated into an Omega, he was taken away by a special institution, never to be seen again. Until one day, he suddenly escaped and came back, crying and begging the headmistress to take him back. But not long after, people came and forcibly took him back.
The headmistress could do nothing but watch helplessly as he was taken away. Turning to Wen Mingyu, she crouched down, hugged him, and whispered slowly, “Mingyu, if you ever differentiate into an Omega someday and don’t want to go to the institution, tell me. I will hide you, okay?”
Wen Mingyu seemed to grasp only half of it, but he could sense that becoming a rare Omega was not a good thing. That older boy didn’t like it, and neither did the headmistress.
Wen Mingyu felt the headmistress’s tears and flinched inside. He nodded. “I know.”
So, the fact that he had grown rabbit ears was known only to the headmistress. One of the major signs of differentiating into A or O was acquiring a second animal form. The O typically become weak, gentle herbivores, while A are fierce carnivores.
Unless something unexpected happened, Wen Mingyu, with his lop-eared rabbit ears, would undoubtedly develop into an Omega in the future.
Now, regarding Mu Zhan’s situation, he felt it was pointless informing the headmistress. After all, this involved domestic abuse. Even if the police were notified, they would only issue warnings and counseling, as children still needed their parents to care for them. Unless the abuse was so severe that it caused irreversible harm to the child, the authorities would only revoke parental custody, and at best, the child would be handed over to relatives or sent to the orphanage.
But by that point, the child might already be disabled or have deep psychological issues. It would be too late.
Parents like that were worse than having none at all.
The more Wen Mingyu thought about it, the more he felt he couldn’t let the other person go. It would be better to keep him here. At worst, he could share half his bed and food with him.
He looked straight at Mu Zhan, his eyes shining.
“My name is Wen Mingyu. What’s yours?”
Mu Zhan glanced down at the hand tightly gripping his, completely covering his own small hand, then looked back up at his face.
Was he pitying himself?
Just like that person surnamed Chi, pretending to be kind, relishing the feeling of being superior in bestowing charity, yet behind his back, supplying the other princes with crueler methods to torment him.
Mu Zhan didn’t trust Wen Mingyu, but he couldn’t find a way back yet. He had searched the grassy patch thoroughly earlier, but the dog hole he had crawled in through was gone. So, staying here for the time being and looking for another chance to search was not a bad option. After all, it was this boy who insisted on keeping him.
His real name, of course, couldn’t be revealed, so he only said, “My surname is Mu.”
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Wen Mingyu once again took out the candy he had refused before, peeled off the wrapper, and held it to his lips, forcing it into his mouth.
“It’s sweet, right?”
Wen Mingyu beamed, eyes wide as he looked at him eagerly, as if he was sharing his treasure and seeking his approval.
It was sweet. Sickeningly sweet. With a very artificial taste. Mu Zhan didn’t like it.
Mu Zhan clenched his teeth, crushing the candy into sharp pieces that pricked the sides of his cheeks. It caused him discomfort, but he preferred the clarity brought by this pain over the earlier, cloud-like lightness.
Wen Mingyu pointed as he introduced his room, “This is where I live. That’s the bed, desk, chair, and the little cabinet, and behind that door is the balcony and bathroom.”
The dorm room was not very spacious. Bunk beds occupied the left side, and on the right were the desk and chairs. Only a narrow aisle remained in between. However, it was clean and tidy, having been newly built less than a year ago, so everything was still in good condition.
Wen Mingyu said, “My roommate was adopted three days ago, so the blankets and pillows were all taken to be washed. But if you’re willing to share, there’s still room for one more on the bed. “
Mu Zhan replied, “I can sleep without a blanket.”
“That’s out of the question.” Wen Mingyu immediately thought of his parents not even letting him sleep in a bed, and his frown deepened in disgust. “You must sleep with me.”
Mu Zhan felt that arguing over this was pointless and said nothing more. Anyway, if Wen Mingyu ended up uncomfortable, he would naturally kick him out.
Seeing no refusal, Wen Mingyu assumed he had agreed and added, “Then I’ll take you to take a shower first. You can wear my clothes. You don’t mind, right?”
Mu Zhan looked at the loose gray sweater and pants he was wearing made of some strange fabric. But he said nothing and simply nodded. He could tell that this place was vastly different from the environment he had grown up in, as if it were another world.
Wearing similar clothes would make it easier for him to blend in and act freely. So he shook his head, indicating he didn’t mind.
Wen Mingyu had him put on slippers and took out a set of his own pajamas. He led him by the hand into the bathroom.
The space was not large, and an adult couldn’t even stretch out their arms fully, but it was more than ample for two children.
Wen Mingyu told him which one was the shampoo and which was the body wash, then prepared to leave. But just as he was about to step out the balcony door, a sudden splash of water and hurried footsteps startled him.
When he turned around, he saw Mu Zhan bolting out of the bathroom, soaking wet, with his hair plastered to his face, eyes wide with alarm. He looked like a startled cat that had been scared out of its wits by water.
Mu Zhan had been trying to figure out how to get out of the water when he accidentally pressed a switch, causing cold water to suddenly pour down from above, soaking him and giving him quite a fright.
A child who was suddenly thrust into a completely unfamiliar world and maintained a calm facade until now finally showed a hint of fear. It was already remarkably commendable.
Wen Mingyu froze for a moment and almost laughed. But knowing that laughing would surely upset the boy, he forced himself to hold it in. He turned around and walked back, saying, “Your hair is too long to wash properly. Let me wash it for you.”
The two entered the bathroom one after the other. Mu Zhan followed behind, staring intently at the showerhead above his head, his face betraying a hint of caution. His movements were tense, as if he was ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.
When Wen Mingyu closed the door, he grew even more tense, standing almost pressed against it, as if trying to keep his distance from the showerhead.
Wen Mingyu fetched a small stool, placed it in front of him, and softly coaxed him, “Take off your clothes and sit here.”
Mu Zhan remained silent for a moment before undressing, neither too quickly nor too slowly, without turning his back. He was not accustomed to facing away from others.
As more and more of his skin was exposed, Wen Mingyu saw the injuries on his body. More than he had noticed before. It was scattered across his thin, frail frame, shocking and unbearable to behold.
None were life-threatening injuries, but the sheer number of the wounds felt more like a cruel mockery—a disregard for his being, leaving a chill in his heart.
Wen Mingyu’s eyes widened. He felt angry and thought, How could such people be worthy of being parents?!
But he did not dare say it out loud, fearing that Mu Zhan would be even more hurt if he did.
Mu Zhan sat down on the small stool, facing him.
Wen Mingyu said, “Turn around so I can wash your hair.”
But Mu Zhan didn’t move, pursing his lips and refusing, “I can wash it myself.”
Wen Mingyu could only gather his long hair and pull it forward before reminding him, “Close your eyes; I’m turning on the hot water.”
Holding the showerhead, he carefully rinsed Mu Zhan’s scalp, asking, “How’s the temperature, is it too hot?”
Wen Mingyu was slightly taller, just two centimeters taller than Mu Zhan, with small hands, yet he tried his best to act like an older brother. His fingers tenderly comb through Mu Zhan’s hair, making it even wetter.
Mu Zhan did not close his eyes. The hot water stung slightly as it streamed down, making him blink uncontrollably.
Perhaps due to the cramped space, the steamy, humid air that enveloped the entire bathroom made the air suffocatingly stuffy. Suddenly, Mu Zhan recalled the feeling of being forced underwater, where he nearly suffocated, and a burning, pain-like fire in his throat and chest.
His head spun while his feet grew light. Everything warped as if he were trapped inside a kaleidoscope. Surrounded by bizarre, swirling patterns, his mind buzzed with a deafening roar. The pain was so intense it felt like his head was about to split open, and Wen Mingyu’s figure before him suddenly became blurry, seemingly drifting far away.
Mu Zhan felt dizzy and disoriented. He couldn’t control his body and felt his body about to collapse. He instinctively grabbed Wen Mingyu’s hand, clutching the clothes around his waist, almost pulling him into a hugging position.
In that instant, everything quieted. And the headache subsided.
Wen Mingyu’s body seemed to emit a faint sweetness on him, bringing a sense of calm and peace.
He liked it very much.
When Wen Mingyu was suddenly hugged, he was very surprised. Because Mu Zhan had been so shy and refused to let him get close to him. He didn’t seem like the type of person who would take the initiative to get close to others.
Could it be that he recalled something bad?
Wen Mingyu felt a pang of sympathy for him. So he reached out and hugged him back, gently patting his back and patiently comforting him.
The Author has something to say:
Mu Zhan: Cat on high alert, fur standing on end.jpg
Yu: Stroking the fur in the right direction.
Mu Zhan the cat lies flat, letting himself be petted. (//▽//)
ChiFu: If you saw my message in Discord, I really apologize for going MIA. Thank you so much for being patient with me again! Thank you for your suggestions. I really wanted a big screen so I chose the redmi pad~ I will try to save up now ! Internship is really killing meee. I feel like an unpaid (is true) worker forced to do overtime TT